Sunderland must beat Portsmouth to Jayden Stockley

Although Sunderland lost to their promotion rivals Portsmouth before Christmas, Jack Ross’ side is still in good shape and as it stands, the Black Cats are five points behind the league leaders but have two games in hand.

After such a terrible season last year, Stewart Donald has rejuvenated the club and thanks to some smart business in the transfer market, he’s turned the north east side into a solid defensive team that has also scored 43 goals.

Although they remain one of the best sides in the league, Donald will need to bring in some reinforcements next month in order to sustain the club’s push for the League One title.

In order to do that, Sunderland are looking to sign a new forward and according to Coventry Live, they are battling Portsmouth for Exeter City striker Jayden Stockley.

The Breakdown

Stockley has scored 15 goals in League Two this season and has been a key reason to Exeter’s rise to fifth in the table this season. It would seem that Portsmouth are leading the race for the striker but if Sunderland can beat their rivals to the striker, it would represent a deal that might just confirm their promotion.

While Charlie Wyke has recently returned from injury, Sunderland don’t have a wealth of options going forward, especially considering that Jerome Sinclair hasn’t exactly been in fine form.

Josh Maja has been a star for the club but with the youngster possibly leaving next month, Sunderland may need to bring in a new frontline forward.